The Recent Wave of Hong Kong Immigrants into Vancouver :: Immigration Vancouver Prejudice Essays

The Recent Wave of Hong Kong Immigrants into Vancouver      This paper is worried about the ongoing rush of Hong Kong migrants into Vancouver. The stage is set for this conversation by first clarifying a few foundation behind Canadian migration strategy and afterward talking about the historical backdrop of Chinese workers in Vancouver. From these conversations we are educated that Canadian migration strategy was truly ethnocentric and just started to change in the late 1960s. It was now that we see a progressively multicultural gathering of outsiders into our country. The historical backdrop of Chinese movement in Vancouver, and so far as that is concerned, Canada isn't certain one. The encounters and biases which were created more than 100 years prior still hues the route in which we see each other.      The ongoing rush of Hong Kong workers started during the 1970s. This gathering is not quite the same as most others before it due to it's scale and the way that they will in general be knowledgeable, rich individuals. The consequence of their movement into Vancouver has been a blasting economy and social strain. With more prominent comprehension and mindfulness on the two sides we can lighten the social strains. Presentation      There is a school in Vancouver which is offering a multi year inundation program to its understudies. That in itself isn't profoundly uncommon in our bilingual country, what is uncommon is that the language of decision for the inundation program isn't French, it is Mandarin. The program was casted a ballot in by guardians who accepted the Mandarin language to be progressively imperative to their kids' fates in Vancouver than French. This circumstance shows viably the change which is occurring in Canada's third biggest city. Vancouver is a city which is reliably looking increasingly more to the Pacific Rim countries, particularly Hong Kong, for its monetary and social associations.      Vancouver is the most asian Canadian city in standpoint. At $1.3 Billion, English Columbia represents the best Asian speculation of the considerable number of regions. As the urban focus of the region, Vancouver is the goal for the majority of this capital. With an Asian populace of over 18%, maybe it isn't so amazing that so much Asian capital is put resources into the city. The draw of Vancouver for Asians has various reasons including, security, a chance to proceed with business in Asia, and a sentiment of welcome. The outcome is that the city is by and large totally reconstructed with asian cash. As a result of this deluge, everything isn't well, there are strains inside the city that have as of late been surfacing. Prior to going into this conversation, be that as it may, it is imperative to comprehend the setting of migration in Canada just as the historical backdrop of asian

Dropout Prevention With A New Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dropout Prevention With A New Method - Essay Example In this way, youngsters who proceed with the science succession all through secondary school will undoubtedly have extra vocation openings (Leder; Smith). Imagine a scenario in which these youngsters will not complete secondary school. What are their odds of having vocations that they can reliably seek after? Scrutinizing a second time the rundown of specific specialists that the country sees as generally significant as far as its Gross Domestic Product †is an update that secondary school and school dropouts working at McDonald’s and Walmart have no possibility of joining the positions of those referenced on the rundown. Absence of formal training is a barrier. However, school dropouts make one of the biggest and the quickest developing youth bunches in America (Leonhardt). It might be that dropping out of school is turning out to be elegant on the grounds that specific profoundly effective and prosperous representatives like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Michael Dell are al l school dropouts. The writer of an article distributed in 2005, ‘Men Want Retooled College Experience’ in USA Today, composed: â€Å"In secondary school, I was advised to look for the folks who left school before graduating in light of the fact that they were the ones I’d be working for later.† It has been more than once said that prodigies don't generally feel roused by the possibility of formal instruction. No different, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Michael Dell have given addresses on the significance of training (Men Want Retooled College Experience). Maybe they were alluding to understudies with normal knowledge; as such, their potential representatives. Research examines have indicated that understudies from low-pay foundations are bound to drop out of secondary school or school. Andy Blevins from southwest Virginia dropped out of school where he was getting C’s and D’s, to work rather on the floor of a general store warehouse.â

How to Protect Your Company against Hackers

How to Protect Your Company against Hackers High profile hackings have become a common place in the world of business. Each year seems to bring about more cases while security experts are constantly lashing out warnings.But what is hacking all about and how should your business protect itself against this growing threat? © Shutterstock.com | frank_petersThis guide will provide you an understanding of hacking and why it is a big issue for big and small businesses. You’ll also be able to read about the five key security aspects that can protect your business. You’ll hopefully come away with an understanding of the necessity of protecting your business and the confirmation that security doesn’t need to be complicated.WHY SHOULD YOU TAKE HACKING SERIOUSLY?Hacking has become one of the most talked about subjects in the business world. It’s not just a topic security experts discuss in dim IT rooms, but all major business magazines and organizations continuously report about the importance of taking hacking seriously.What is hacking?So, what does hacking mean? It essentially is a practice, which sees a person modifying the features of a specific system, in order to achieve a goal, for which the system is not originally designed to perform. In short, hacking could be performed on all sorts of things , with computer hacking being the most common form.While the actual modification, i.e. hacking, could have positive and beneficial intentions, most associate hacking with criminal activities. Hacking can be used in order to break into the IT system of organizations and cause disruption by making the system non-operational or by stealing information.Should your business care about hackers?Hacking has made big headlines in recent years and business owners have become increasingly aware of the threat. PwC conducted a survey in 2014 and asked over 9,600 IT executives globally whether they’ve experienced hacking in the past year. According to the survey, 41% of the respondents had experienced at least one security incident during the year. In the UK, the number of security incidents that year had increased by 69%, with global increases close to 25%.Since the majority of the headlines feature big companies, such as TalkTalk and SnapChat, many small business owners tend to overlook the i ssue of hacking. But security company Symantec found hacking against small businesses increased by 300% in 2012 from attacks in the previous year. Hacking is a threat to big and small businesses, with small businesses often having the lack of resources as a disadvantage.But what damage can hacking do to your business, whether it is a large corporation or a small business? Perhaps the thing you should be most concerned is financial damage. In fact, in the PwC survey, the respondents that said they’ve experienced hacking, nearly 40% said it had resulted in financial losses.Hacking can result in direct theft of finances, but it can also impact your ability to be paid by customers and third parties. It can completely shut down your business operations and create financial problems. While your insurance might well be able to cover the losses, the process is often relatively strenuous and long.Furthermore, securing your business after you’ve been hacked can end up costing your busines s. In fact, you can end up paying for your security more after a hacking incident than you would have before it. Undoing the damage is often impossible, but prevention can ensure you never have to face the difficulties.You could also lose valuable information because of hacking. Hackers might steel company secrets that end up benefitting competitors. Your customer details are gone forever, if you don’t have a proper backup. The consequences of hacking can range from minor inconvenience to the destruction of your business.In addition, financial problems can occur even indirectly as a result of hacking. As cases such as the TalkTalk incident and the Target hacking show, the business’ reputation can suffer. Not only are you often entitled to reimburse customers for any losses, but also you might have a hard time attracting new ones in the immediate future. Customers can feel wary over the security your business provides and the lack of trust can be difficult to rebuild, especially if it turns out you hadn’t properly secured customer data. In fact, businesses have a legal obligation, in most cases, to protect customer data. If you don’t take the appropriate steps to do so, you can inflict further financial damage on your business.5 ASPECTS OF SECURITY YOUR BUSINESS MUST COVERThe good news is that big corporations and small businesses can limit the threat of hacking with simple solutions. Securing your business’ online activities will require careful planning, but you shouldn’t feel overwhelmed. The following five aspects help you understand the key security areas you should cover.#1: Use appropriate security programsThe simplest way to start securing your business is by using up-to-date software. The constant updates can sometimes seem like a drag, but you shouldn’t start skipping them. Whilst it is possible to use software that’s not up-to-date, it can increase the chance of hacking. Software developers are constantly adjusting their code and impr oving the security of the system against the latest malware. If you don’t stay on top of it, you put your business’ security under risk.Additionally, you also have to get used to backing up your systems. Businesses should back up all the files and systems at least once a week. The more data changes you make a day, the better it is to back up every day. You can find information about the importance of backing up your systems from the below YouTube video: Back up shouldn’t simply take place in a single location either. You want to ensure your business has back up on-site, but also off-site as well. The uncomfortable truth is that every hard drive will eventually fail and you don’t want this to happen to your only back up.Once you got the basics covered, you want to start adding extra layers of security to your business. Your business might need plenty of different security packages, but the essentials include:SSL â€" SSL is an essential tool to protect the information users se nd between the website and the database. The code prevents information from being read or accessed without proper access.Web Application Firewall â€" a web application firewall (WAF) can be software or hardware based. It is essentially a protection between your website service and the data connection, scouring through all of the data that passes between these two systems. WAF is typically a cloud-based system and you can find them with monthly subscription fees.Website and software scanners â€" You’ll also want to add scanners that regularly scan your website and software. They can help detect and stop malware, viruses and bad code.When you are looking for the above security programs, remember to check with a few options. Don’t be scared of the costs â€" plenty of good security software can be used free or for a minor fee.#2: Enforce appropriate authenticationAuthentication and passwords are important aspects of security. Although passwords are among the best ways to protect you r data, many businesses tend to compromise on them.First, ensure your business uses a password management system. Like with the above security software, you can find password management systems in all price categories. A proper password management system ensures the business uses minimum password standards across all operations, amongst both employees and customers.In addition, you want to consider using a Two Factor Authentication (2FA) system, also known as the Two Step Verification system. This means that when the system detects an unauthorized device trying to access the data, it asks for a separate authorization code. The authentication is typically an SMS message sent to a registered number or a special code-generating app. This will prevent a hacker from accessing the data.The good news is that 2FA solutions are easy to set up and you can even get started free. Google Authenticator, for example, is an effective solution to check out.Finally, remember the appropriate rules reg arding login details and passwords. You should never send them by e-mail and you should encourage both employees and customers to regularly change their passwords.Finally, don’t provide access to data to everyone in the organization. Not everyone in your business needs a business-wide data access. With each employee, and customer to some extent, think whether they need certain information and deny the data from anyone who doesn’t use it.#3: Secure third-party servicesIt’s important to understand businesses don’t act in a vacuum. Even if your business has an appropriate security system in place, third parties your business deals with might not. Therefore, you shouldn’t only figure out how to secure your own system, but also make sure the companies you work with take security issues seriously.The best way to understand the importance of this is by looking at the example of Target. While the corporation had a secure defense to protect against hacking, the hackers gained acces s by using stolen authentication credentials of a subcontractor. Furthermore, the Ponemon Institute’s research shows third-party providers have a significant impact on the likelihood of hacking. You need to make sure companies that either have access to your system or who have important data about your business enforce appropriate security measures.When you start working with a third-party, check their security credentials and ensure you get a guarantee of an appropriate level of security. For example, they should use the Payment Card Industry’s Data Security Standard and cloud-security certification.If you are using cloud, segregate sensitive data from less sensitive data. The more sensitive the data, the more security you want to add around it. Ensure the connection you use to access data in the cloud is secure. Systems such as virtual private networks (VPN) add more security on Wi-Fi connections. You should definitely avoid using open wireless network for accessing sensitive business data.#4: Understand the vulnerabilities that remainThe above aspects will help you build a strong defense against hacking. But even when you spend time and money on online security, you cannot have a 100% guarantee the system won’t be breached. As past instances of hacking have shown, there’s always the possibility hackers find a way to sneak into your system.In fact, security blogger Graham Cluley told FastCompany in 2014, the human element continues to be the weakest link in the security chain. “I fear that because we can’t roll out a software patch for people’s brains, this problem is one we’re still going to have in 100 years,” Cluley said in the interview.But while your security can’t guarantee 100% results, staying on top of your system will help limit the risk. Your security will have certain vulnerabilities, but the more you understand about them, the safer the system will be.Stay on top of the latest hacking threats through tech websites such as The Hacker News. When you find vulnerabilities, check how you could patch it up and enforce new regulations if necessary. Don’t stay still when it comes to security software. Continue to keep an eye on better software and upgrade your system if you feel you require more protection. Hackers are good at improving their skills and the software you use now might not be sufficient protection in three months.Furthermore, if your business operates as an e-commerce business, you need to understand two key vulnerabilities. These are:SQL hackers use applications with SQL queries in order to gain information from the business’ database.Cross Site Scripting (XXS) â€" the attack uses applications, which take untrusted data and send it to browsers without validating the data. This can allow the hacker to take over accounts or change website content.Both of the above vulnerabilities are effectively prevented with a web application firewall.#5: Create a strong culture of cyber securityFinally, wh ile the above aspects can help you add tangible layers of security around your business, the final point is all about creating a strong culture of cyber security. Your employees are already careful of locking the doors of the business premise and ensuring windows are closed in the afternoon. But they should also be as keen to “lock the doors” of your online operations as well.Ensure cyber security is a key focus point in your business, not an afterthought. Whenever you are implementing a new approach or adding a new operational aspect for your business, consider it through cyber security.Figure out a proper risk management plan. You need to know the most valuable assets in the business and create a plan to protect them. But importantly, you also need to have a plan for the moment when things go wrong. The aim is to ensure your data never is stolen, lost or damaged, but you need to have a plan in place in case the unthinkable happens.Implementing a proper security plan is not dif ficult. The Internet has a wealth of information available to help you get started. Once you have an appropriate action plan in place, responding to threats is much easier and you can end up limiting the financial damage a possible breach might have.Furthermore, everyone in your business should be aware of cyber security and the best behavior associated with it â€" whether or not your business has a special IT department. It is important that employees are aware of how malware and viruses transmit and travel, as well as what they should do if they detect a breach or a problem. For example, you don’t want to simply deny them visits to certain websites with office computers, but explain the dangers of this behavior. Educating your employees about the risks and the best practices can add the final layer of security. Adequate education on the matter reduces that human element.Finally, don’t stop your education to your employees. You should also help your customers understand about c orrect and secure online behavior. For example, explain your information sharing rules and regulations with them. Remind them to never share personal information over e-mail, but rather always contact your customer service by phone or face-to-face.Organizing regular cyber security workshops can be an effective way to keep staff up-to-date. If you are a small business, you can make these events cheaper by organizing them together with other local SMEs. Furthermore, running cyber security workshops for your customers can be a clever branding opportunity.IN CONCLUSIONSecuring your business against hackers isn’t a zero-sum game. No system or software can provide you 100% protection. But security also isn’t rocket science, which costs a fortune. The above aspects of security can guarantee your business data is not only secured but you also have the appropriate attitude towards security. Make security the key focus of your business, continue to educate yourself and your employees and customers, and stay on top of the threats.In its essence, protecting your company against hackers is about making your business as secure as possible. To do this, you need the right security tools, the proper approach to security, from yourself and your business partners, and implementation of proper safeguards.

Differences Between the Disease Model and the Harm Reduction Model Free Essay Example, 1500 words

Disease Model Treatment Implications A lasting total abstinence from all psychoactive substances is perceived to be the only acceptable treatment goal. The disease model also considers confrontational and coercive tactics as essential to break through denial. Disease model views successful recovery as requiring acceptance of the disease, hopelessness, and submit to a higher power (McCrady & Epstein, 1999). Harm Reduction Model Harm reduction infers a model that aids clients control their drinking and drug use. The model does not pay attention to the notion of addiction as a disease but addresses the consequences of high risk behavior, such as substance abuse. The model does not promote total abstinence; rather, it promotes changes in behavior that will minimize harm to the individual who chose high risk behavior. Similarly, the model with its empowerment emphasis perceives consumers as both a teacher and a learner and desists from the use of labels and forced dichotomies. Harm reduction model encompasses a set of practical strategies that minimize negative consequences flowing from drug use and incorporates a continuum of strategies from safer use to managed use and abstinence. We will write a custom essay sample on Differences Between the Disease Model and the Harm Reduction Model or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Harm reduction strategies pursue substance abusers â€Å"where they are at, † addressing the conditions of use, as well as the use itself. The approach matches recovery to any positive change, whereby recovery is a process in which the consumer outlines the tempo and parameters of that process (Marlatt & Witkiewitz, 2002). However, harm reduction is not tacit consent to drug use, anti-abstinence, or a â€Å"Trojan horse† for drug legalization. Principles of Harm Reduction The approach accommodates user’s decision to use. In addition, the approach allows drug users to be treated with dignity. The model allows the drug user to take responsibility for his or her behavior. Furthermore, drug users have a voice on a broad array of issues, especially those affecting them directly. In the model, there are no pre- defined outcomes with the aim of reducing harm rather than consumption. Differences between the Disease Model and the Harm Reduction Model Harm reduction model accommodates that drug use is a reality, and pursues to minimize  harmful effects, instead of simply ignoring or condemning drug users. The model understands drug use as an intricate, multifaceted phenomenon embracing a spectrum of behaviors from dependence to abstinence, and accommodates the view that some ways of drug use are concisely safer than others.

Slaughterhouse Five A Warning Against War Essay - 1716 Words

Kurt Vonneguts novel Slaughterhouse-Five; or The Childrens Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death is, as suggested by the title, a novel describing a crusade that stretches beyond the faint boundaries of fiction and crosses over into the depths of defogged reality. This satirical, anti-war piece of literature aims to expose, broadcast and even taunt human ideals that support war and challenge them in light of their folly. However, the reality of war, the destruction, affliction and trauma it encompasses, can only be humanly described by the word â€Å"war† itself. Furthermore, oftentimes this term can only be truly understood by those who have experienced it firsthand. Therefore, in order to explain the unexplainable and humanize one of the most†¦show more content†¦On his feet were cheap, low-cut civilian shoes which he had bought for his fathers funeral. Billy had lost a heel, which made him bob up-and-down, up-and-down. The involuntary dancing, up-and-down, up-and-down, made his hip joints sore. ... He didnt look like a soldier at all. He looked like a filthy flamingo. (33) With this description, Vonnegut vastly distances Billy from the ideal, strong and mighty image of a soldier, yet Billy is a soldier nonetheless. Not only is this weak and ungracious character fighting and representing the honour of his country but also he is one of the few soldiers who survive the war; he outlives many of the other soldiers that could be considered better suited for war. Furthermore, Vonnegut compares Billy to a filthy flamingo, highlighting the distance that exists between societys soldier ideal, graceful and admirable, and the soldiers reality, harsh and rampageous. In short, Billy is so far from what is expected that he â€Å"shouldnt even be in the Army† (51). However, Billy is not the only soldier in this ludicrous predicament. Vonnegut describes the entire Army as chaotic, confused and ludicrous: The eight ridiculous Dresdeners ascertained that these hundred ridiculous creatures really were American fighting men fresh from the front. They smiled, and then they laughed. Their terror evaporated. There was nothing to be afraid of. Here were more crippled human beings, more fools like themselves. Here was lightShow MoreRelatedWelcome to the Monkey House, Harrison Bergeron, and Slaughterhouse-five, by Kurt Vonnegut1233 Words   |  5 Pageslambasted in his works. Vonnegut’s experience as a soldier in WWII during firebombing of Dresden corrupted his mind and enabled him to express the chaotic reality of war, violence, obsession, sex and government in a raw and personal manner. Through three works specifically, â€Å"Welcome to the Monkey House,† â€Å"Harrison Bergeron,† and Slaughterhouse-five, one can see ties to all the chaotic elements of Vonnegut’s life that he routinely satirized. One can also see how Vonnegut’s personal experiences created hisRead MoreSlaughterhouse Five By Kurt Vonnegut Essay1560 Words   |  7 Pagesthe war are found to suffer some sort of psychological issue (NBC). One of these soldiers is Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut grew up in Illinois where his family would eventually lose all their money along with his mother (notable biographies). After attending Cornell University Vonnegut enlisted into World War II. His experiences in World War II shaped his anti-war novel Slaughterhouse-Five. Slaughterhouse-Five was published â€Å"during the peak of protest against American involvement in the Vietnam war† (NotableRead MoreSlaughterhouse Five Literary Analysis890 Words   |  4 PagesSimilarly, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five explores this struggle between free-will and destiny, and illustrates the idea of time in order to demonstrate that there is no free-will in war; it is just destiny. Vonnegut conveys this through irony, symbolism and satire. Time concept is a complex idea that resist full understanding thus we can only percept it and determinism is a belief that is adopted by whose can percept time better than the others. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy Pilgrim is kidnappedRead MoreKurt Vonnegut s Slaughterhouse Five 1490 Words   |  6 Pagespublished a variety of works including novels, short stories, plays, and a few works of non-fiction. Kurt Vonnegut explains how war and the experiences that come with it can cause suffering to the minds of people that it affects. In his novel Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut uses his novel to focus on his anti-war stance by showcasing humanity s suffering due to war. Vonnegut reveals this suffering through Billy Pilgrim s experience with the bombing of Dresden, his development of schizophreniaRead MoreThe Childrens Crusade: Innocence, Masculinity, and Humanity1440 Words   |  6 Pages　　Are wars still being fought by children. One could argue â€Å"no†, but others will say â€Å"yes†. Men go into war everyday, but many are not even fully grown. In Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five, he uses some of his own personal experiences to show the realities of war by examples of innocence, masculinity, and humanity through his main character Billy Pilgrim. Billy can supposedly time travel after being kidnapped by aliens from Tralfamadore and uses it to travel to his time in WWII were he experiencedRead MoreSlaughterhouse Five By Kurt Vonnegut860 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout the course of the novel Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, the reader is walked through the morbid but engaging life of Billy Pilgrim, a character who experiences many dreadful tragedies such as war. The way Vonnegut structures this novel is scattered and not told chronologically because we experience Billy Pilgrim’s life just as he does without suspense or logical order. Shortly after Pilgrim going to war in 1944 he becomes â€Å"unstuck in time† which simply means that he experiences differentRead MoreSlaughterhouse Five By Kurt Vonnegut915 Words   |  4 Pages Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut takes places on two contrasting planets. One is Earth, where war tears apart families and minds, and the other is Tralfamadore, where supernatural alien beings share their extended knowledge of the world. Vonnegut uses the two planets, Earth and Tralfamadore, to show the contrasting ideas of chaos and order, and that human actions have limitations that render them helpless against a meaningless universe. In Slaughterhouse Five, Earth is a grim, war torn placeRead More Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five Essays3848 Words   |  16 PagesKurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five Great artists have the ability to step back from society and see the absurd circus that their world has become. Such satirists use their creative work to reveal the comic elements of an absurd world and incite a change in society; examples include Stanley Kubrick’s film, Dr. Strangelove, and Joseph Heller’s novel, Catch-22. Both works rose above their more serious counterparts to capture the critical voice of a generation dissatisfied with a nation ofRead MoreChanges Since the Sixties916 Words   |  4 Pagesthe schools. There were no grouchy warning labels on the records and no ratings necessary on the movies. And TV shows were acceptable to the whole family. Those were the sixties or at least part of it. Some of the 52 million sixties boomers called it the decade of peace, harmony and love mainly for the movement for peace and the flower power attitude. Others, a little more pessimistic, called it the decade of dissatisfaction because of the protests against the war and the race riots in many citiesRead More Changes Since The Sixties Essay878 Words   |  4 Pagesthe schools. There were no grouchy warning labels on the records and no ratings necessary on the movies. And TV shows were acceptable to the whole family. Those were the sixties or at least part of it. Some of the 52 million sixties’ boomers called it the decade of peace, harmony and love mainly for the movement for peace and the â€Å"flower power† attitude. Others, a little more pessimistic, called it the decade of dissatisfaction because of the protests against the war and the race riots in many cities

Exxon Mobil Free Essays

Exxon Mobil: Stakeholders Theory What should be the role adopted by the Government to discourage profiteering by large organizations? ExxonMobil is an American oil and gas corporation and a direct descendant of John D. Rockerfeller’s Standard Oil Company. The mereger of Exxon and Mobil on Novermber 30, 1999 led to the formation of ExxonMobil which is the worlds largest company by revenue. We will write a custom essay sample on Exxon Mobil or any similar topic only for you Order Now ExxonMobil operate facilities or market products in most of the world’s countries and explore for oil and natural gas on six continents. The case: ExxonMobil has drawn criticism from the environmental lobby for funding organizations critical of the Kyoto Protocol and skeptical of the scientific opinion that global warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. According to The Guardian, ExxonMobil has funded, among other groups skeptical of global warming, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, George C. Marshall Institute, Heartland Institute, Congress on Racial Equality, TechCentralStation. com, and International Policy Network. ExxonMobil’s support for these organizations has drawn criticism from the Royal Society, the academy of sciences of the United Kingdom. The Union of Concerned Scientists released a report in 2007 accusing ExxonMobil of spending $16 million, between 1998 and 2005, towards 43 advocacy organizations which dispute the impact of global warming. The report argued that ExxonMobil used disinformation tactics similar to those used by the tobacco industry in its denials of the link between lung cancer and smoking, saying that the company used â€Å"many of the same organizations and personnel to cloud the scientific understanding of climate change and delay action on the issue. ExxonMobil has been reported as having plans to invest up to US$100m over a ten year period in Stanford University’s Global Climate and Energy Project. In August 2006, the Wall Street Journal revealed that a YouTube video lampooning Al Gore, titled Al Gore’s Penguin Army, appeared to be astroturfing by DCI Group, a Washington PR firm with ties to ExxonMobil. The recent scenario: In January 2007, the company appeared to change its position , when vice president for public affairs Kenneth Cohen said â€Å"we know enough now—or, society knows enough now—that the risk is serious and action should be taken. Cohen stated that, as of 2006, ExxonMobil had ceased funding of the Competitive Enterprise Institute and â€Å"‘five or six’ similar groups†. While the company did not publicly state which the other similar groups were, a May 2007 report by Greenpeace does list the five groups it stopped funding as well as a list of 41 other climate skeptic groups which are still receiving ExxonMobil funds. On February 13, 2007, ExxonMobil CEO Rex W. Tillerson acknowledged that the planet was warming while carbon dioxide levels were increasing, but in the same speech gave an unqualified defense of the oil industry and predicted that hydrocarbons would dominate the world’s transportation as energy demand grows by an expected 40 percent by 2030. Tillerson stated that there is no significant alternative to oil in coming decades, and that ExxonMobil would continue to make petroleum and natural gas its primary products. A survey carried out by the UK’s Royal Society found that in 2005 ExxonMobil distributed $2. m to 39 groups that the society said â€Å"misrepresented the science of climate change by outright denial of the evidence†. On July 1, 2009, the Guardian newspaper revealed that ExxonMobil has continued to fund organizations including the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) along with the Heritage Foundation, despite a public pledge to cut support of lobby groups who deny climate change. ExxonMobilà ¢â‚¬â„¢s environmental record has been a target of critics from outside organizations such as Greenpeace as well as some institutional investors who disagree with its stance on global warming. The Political Economy Research Institute ranks ExxonMobil sixth among corporations emitting airborne pollutants in the United States. The ranking is based on the quantity (15. 5 million pounds in 2005) and toxicity of the emissions. In 2005, ExxonMobil had committed less than 1% of their profits towards researching alternative energy, less than other leading oil companies. Stakeholder: Stakeholders are entities who are directly or indirectly associated with any organisation. Any decision made by the organisation , good or bad is bound to have some effect on all of these. Stakeholders are either internal to the organisation or they may be external to the organisation. Internal stakeholders are employees, trade unions, customers , suppliers, competitors. External stakeholders are shareholders , government authorities, regulators, NGOs, pressure grps etc . ExxonMobil Statements: Environment It is our long-standing policy to conduct business in a manner that considers both the environmental and economic needs of the communities in which we operate. We seek to drive incidents with environmental impact to zero, and to operate in a manner that is not harmful to the environment. Health ExxonMobil supports programs targeted to worldwide health issues because we believe that good health is a springboard to opportunity, achievement and development. Health support falls into several categories, the fight against global health pandemics, support for medical centers/hospitals, health education and health-care delivery, health and the environment, and health-related research. Safety We are  committed to conducting our business in a manner that protects the safety and health of our employees, contractors, customers, and the public. We strive for an incident-free workplace and have set a global safety and health goal of zero injuries and illnesses. We believe that our commitment to safe, secure, and incident-free operations will contribute to improved operations reliability, lower costs, and higher productivity. Our worldwide spending includes contributions to nonprofit organizations as well as funds invested in social projects through various joint-venture arrangements, production-sharing agreements, projects operated by others, and contractual social bonus arrangements. In 2007, Exxon Mobil Corporation, its divisions and affiliates, and the ExxonMobil Foundation provided a combined $173. 8 million in cash, goods, and services worldwide. (excerpts from the official website of the ExxonMobil Corporation: www. exxonmobil. com ) Hence we observe that what the company say and what they practice in real life are two different things altogether. But recently,it has been a contributor to environmental causes as the company donated $6. 6 million to environmental and social groups in 2007. Stakeholders of ExxonMobil: [pic] Customers: The environment at large suffered due to ExxonMobil’s unethical methods. The company was openly disdainful of the theory that fossil fuels were a major contributor to global warming. The company states that, â€Å"It is our long-standing policy to conduct business in a manner that considers both the environmental and economic needs of the communities in which we operate. We seek to drive incidents with environmental impact to zero, and to operate in a manner that is not harmful to the environment. † But we can conclude that the company isn’t practicing what it says. The company used same methods employed by tobacco companies and hence like the former harmed the environment and the community at large in order to earn maximum profit. Shareholders: The shareholders are the owners of the company and thus have to bare the brunt as well. The shareholders were pressurizing the company to invest more in alternative fuels but the company rejected the idea and hence the shareholders had to face the criticism that the company faced as well due to the company’s use of unethical practices in order to maximize its profit. Special interest groups: The groups which partenered with ExxonMobil (43 gropus) received a lot of criticism from various other groups for misrepresenting their work and aiding in the ruining of the environment by publishing articles that questioned global warming theories. For eg: Sallie Baliunas, an astrophysicist based at Stanford University Hoover Institution (it received 300. 000 USD from the company since 1998) stated in her study that temperatures haven’t changed since significantly over the past millennia and this article was rebutted by no less than 13 other scientists. They said such institutions or people mis-represent or cherry-pick the facts in an attempt to mislead the media an the people. Thus the integrity of such organizations is questioned in the future and the media and people become wary of other studies by other organizations due to a handful of these institutions which aide in misleading the society at large. Competitors: The competitors of ExxonMobil such as Shell and BP followed the Koyoto protocol and dropped out of Global Climate Coalition, an industry group which questioned the Global warming theory. The company faced further criticism cause of its unethical practices and ignorance over such environmental issues and this aided the competitors which received positive reviews from the media in 1998. The role Government can play: The small but effective amount of money invested by the company allowed to fuel doubt over global warming to delay Government action just as Big Tobacco did for over 40 years. Some of the people from the tobacco industries are said to have helped the oil giant in its unethical practices. The government should be more alert and form rules and regulations against such malpractices. Lawmakers who support reduction and limitation of green house gases emissions should be given more authority and stern action should be taken against companies such as ExxonMobil for spreading false information and hence playing havoc with the environment. ExxonMobil has been criticized by major environmental advocacy groups. In 2003, Greenpeace listed Exxon as #1 Climate Criminal. Exxon’s alleged crimes include the sabotage of efforts to deal with climate change, the fraudulent manipulation of peer reviewed scientific studies and organizations, misleading and outright lying to the population of the USA, its government officials and the global community in general. The company donated a large sum of money towards environmental issues in 2007 but it will take more than that to uplift the image of the company in the eyes of the environmentalists and the population. The company is still ranks #1 in the world in net income which shows that the government keep a check on such companies or the extent of the malpractices might escalate in the future. bibliography: wikipedia exxon mobil How to cite Exxon Mobil, Papers

Freight Transportation System for North American - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theFreight Transportation System for North American. Answer: Introduction Freight transportation system, especially using the railways as the medium of transport, plays an important role in the creation of a sustainable transport market that is competitive in nature. However, the freight transportation system has been experiencing a downfall in use in recent times, mostly because of the development of roadways. Transportation demand has evolved over time, mostly due to changes in cargo characteristics and customer requirements (Rodrigue, Comtois Slack, 2016). This paper is going to be looking into the difference between the European and North American freight transportation systems and offer a constructive criticism of the two. The North American and European freight systems Almost all the countries in the world have different freight systems, which have been the key driver in shaping their economic conditions. The global freight system has been impacted by technology, infrastructure and different modes that resulted in convergence. Logistical practices in the freight system of the different countries are not uniform (Tolley, Turton, 2014). The North American and the European countries all walk different paths while adopting their freight transportation systems. To understand the differences, different attributes like gateways, value chain, corridors, regulations must be analysed. There are significant differences in the North American and European freight systems and these differences can be broadly classified under three groups. Firstly, the structural disparities which are natural and which can be altered up till a certain degree through different decision making. Secondly, the characteristics and operations of the trains vary significantly in the two regions. Thirdly, both the regions were faced by a deep crisis after the Second World War. The policies that were taken or implemented and how the markets evolved from thereon, completely different paths. Globalization has been the reason behind all the changes that every country has witnessed in terms of long-distance transportation system, communication costs (De Jong et al., 2013). Even though, in the past the trade costs were thought to be powerless over the structure of the global trade systems, they are now being acknowledged and being given their due importance. Even though the North American freight industry experienced an increased productivity and profitability in the last three decades, the European counterpart has been unable to achieve such results. Even after the regulations that were implemented in 1991 and giving full open access to freight rail operators in 2007, the industry in Europe has not been able to come out of the downward trend that has set in. this disparity in the functions and results of the industry in the two different regions may be explained by inherent structural changes, like the difference in the competitiveness of non-surface modes, commodity mix and distance of the shipments (Gonzalez-Feliu, Semet Routhier, 2014). The North American railways and the size of the freight trains are much bigger than the European ones and this is perhaps more striking than the differences in just the modal share of the two regions. The regulatory reforms that were adopted in the last century with aims to revive the freight industr y produced very dissimilar results in the two regions under consideration in the current paper. While comparing the condition and the stance of the freight rail industry in Europe and North America, all the above mentioned parameters have to be taken into account. To understand the differences, what must first be understood is, what are the aspects and areas that truly matter (Frmont, 2016). Also, the different operational actions must also be understood, as well as trying to understand if there are any strategies or policies that can be adopted by the two regions, that are already used by the other, to enhance the conditions of their respective industrial scenarios. There are some basic differences in the prevailing natural conditions of the two continents that affect the freight system. For example, Europe has more ports than North America. The distance between the ports in Europe are also shorter, but there are no land bridges connecting the eastern and western coasts in Europe like in North America (Rodrigue Notteboom, 2013). Some corridors and hinterlands in Europe are highly congested, while the traffic flow in North America is much smoother, opening up the possibility of a better economic condition in North America. The corridors that are regulate by NAFTA, provide the favour to the natural gateways and corridors. However, this is gradually being met by the restructuring of the freight systems in Europe. Conclusion The North American and the European ways of freight transportation system are widely different, but the differences are quickly being met and the gaps are being bridged. Western Europe has freight systems that are intense both in coastal regions as well as inlands, while North America already has that advantage across all the countries. Different attributes and parameters are in play here, which need to be more closely monitored to understand the reasons for the widespread disparities. References De Jong, G., Vierth, I., Tavasszy, L., Ben-Akiva, M. (2013). Recent developments in national and international freight transport models within Europe.Transportation,40(2), 347-371. Frmont, A. (2016). The transfer of freight from road to rail transport.Sustainable railway futures: Issues and challenges, 109-125. Gonzalez-Feliu, J., Semet, F., Routhier, J. L. (Eds.). (2014Sustainable urban logistics: Concepts, methods and information systems. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Rodrigue, J. P., Notteboom, T. (2013). Containerized freight distribution in North America and Europe. InHandbook of Global Logistics(pp. 219-246). Springer New York. Rodrigue, J. P., Comtois, C., Slack, B. (2016).The geography of transport systems. Taylor Francis. Tolley, R., Turton, B. J. (2014).Transport systems, policy and planning: a geographical approach. Routledge.